Old-school holiday

We've just returned home from our little getaway on the mid-north coast of NSW, and I think it was just what the doctor ordered after a busy and very hectic first term at school and uni. It's also got me thinking about how holidays have changed since I was a kid.<br /><br />My sister-in-law and her family live in Sydney, so for the past few years we've met half way and spent a week on the Coffs coast in NSW. This year, we rented a rambling old heritage house in the town of Sawtell, and what a gem of a place it is. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6iPCbLBSIFDQJYRzVzG-AMbwm-3p7JvDIpOArBtl-0dxsnoU_vs4tqz-YQgSHRVC9y18M95l8y4cfra-lGoZHmQiPNhxs94Uu5T62pz_oTxtuYM-8eh4FPXkFRH6Aln-x3zqAuVNFy4/s1600/102_4214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6iPCbLBSIFDQJYRzVzG-AMbwm-3p7JvDIpOArBtl-0dxsnoU_vs4tqz-YQgSHRVC9y18M95l8y4cfra-lGoZHmQiPNhxs94Uu5T62pz_oTxtuYM-8eh4FPXkFRH6Aln-x3zqAuVNFy4/s400/102_4214.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> at the beach all day, just surfing</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCHr5GBw_udSGfbMg70dm-NH0rtaiXxxGvTnw-bBfQgi_xfqSAm6iicNnUfZQ5pDvOYaOBBmFRP5tG8KLq-iecWXldCACWyav6t4urNBpwH7be4PrOfhRijE_8jKD44RJqAFKVP38GcA/s1600/102_4213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCHr5GBw_udSGfbMg70dm-NH0rtaiXxxGvTnw-bBfQgi_xfqSAm6iicNnUfZQ5pDvOYaOBBmFRP5tG8KLq-iecWXldCACWyav6t4urNBpwH7be4PrOfhRijE_8jKD44RJqAFKVP38GcA/s400/102_4213.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1jmZIsI0jL0WDTrB19w0ppQJqTWV-_dmb5E7S1-6qYBfAYR9P__qVpaqBv7LyoI9TTRSlvZw4tfi2XFKhVo-puvZVkW0WuUo71XZeCeHDSMgpEiyk2oW_bGrrn3Av99p6JEbEOKr8Ks/s1600/102_4268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1jmZIsI0jL0WDTrB19w0ppQJqTWV-_dmb5E7S1-6qYBfAYR9P__qVpaqBv7LyoI9TTRSlvZw4tfi2XFKhVo-puvZVkW0WuUo71XZeCeHDSMgpEiyk2oW_bGrrn3Av99p6JEbEOKr8Ks/s320/102_4268.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3e0yYReEIwkodwxid74GKsCdMl8J4zXoFbzq-i7qskMfAxFUdyTv4rsG9mvMlmTYfYdbify4l_TDHV8wWeuFvqILZxbCXpzqS1Fs-tczBWLyZE5S5MblIThXX_etkR-n87jMEPmzW0bY/s1600/102_4284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3e0yYReEIwkodwxid74GKsCdMl8J4zXoFbzq-i7qskMfAxFUdyTv4rsG9mvMlmTYfYdbify4l_TDHV8wWeuFvqILZxbCXpzqS1Fs-tczBWLyZE5S5MblIThXX_etkR-n87jMEPmzW0bY/s320/102_4284.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">our view from the back deck</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">We stayed in one of the original old beach houses, which was so relaxed and unpretentious - perfect for our motley crew! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZswDVUp0Ft6zAhkndl6G51v1b4zhr3z_BR9WmA33aWL6s8GZYUBjH59rg3o-5e17sgQ_MCXJou_vfTwKvGTH0FIHTNsFheuvJE3DpSOrxob4wQczFM1QZKr0obYyf11NcGq7BbscxXk/s1600/102_4204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZswDVUp0Ft6zAhkndl6G51v1b4zhr3z_BR9WmA33aWL6s8GZYUBjH59rg3o-5e17sgQ_MCXJou_vfTwKvGTH0FIHTNsFheuvJE3DpSOrxob4wQczFM1QZKr0obYyf11NcGq7BbscxXk/s400/102_4204.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocqlo6CeT9krSHzRDCasS1W8kZNb5Xh1hVxPfwnDwd2jLicp6Kw8CfEojzMRVbGzEBvaLarq9e7BVrP8hoh2q_s-yNLle-vS_LjmU9sqcMvSugXOVk3ksacY3O0nQJjxpG2yhcFCrUu4/s1600/IMG_0826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocqlo6CeT9krSHzRDCasS1W8kZNb5Xh1hVxPfwnDwd2jLicp6Kw8CfEojzMRVbGzEBvaLarq9e7BVrP8hoh2q_s-yNLle-vS_LjmU9sqcMvSugXOVk3ksacY3O0nQJjxpG2yhcFCrUu4/s400/IMG_0826.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp9s0UdRG3Ouf2iAbI_7CkEJKjnxkqeSNuCloTzzVUIcEZ6HR_xMKJ9cK8DIFkIVnT5ZZ_0_8BedyloUfzTIfDWiw3Tq32sGLVfthgfpQXtWRJQ3EaEdpUhYu4_ga4YQMdwNm5SQrNR_w/s1600/102_4208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp9s0UdRG3Ouf2iAbI_7CkEJKjnxkqeSNuCloTzzVUIcEZ6HR_xMKJ9cK8DIFkIVnT5ZZ_0_8BedyloUfzTIfDWiw3Tq32sGLVfthgfpQXtWRJQ3EaEdpUhYu4_ga4YQMdwNm5SQrNR_w/s400/102_4208.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">as cute as it was, I was itching to grab some white paint!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_ONrZyvK6QKrnM7TQjoSnKhjVknB9z7e33DE3Q9zJdbNbo7cT4VfeXQ1vs-3EqUXvqN8AfvdUkV-fbRXX14iLAFjg5E01NTu_fD9gMcfASojewVTcV1NsSq6fIIeKqSaUxArUbrjydg/s1600/SDC11592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_ONrZyvK6QKrnM7TQjoSnKhjVknB9z7e33DE3Q9zJdbNbo7cT4VfeXQ1vs-3EqUXvqN8AfvdUkV-fbRXX14iLAFjg5E01NTu_fD9gMcfASojewVTcV1NsSq6fIIeKqSaUxArUbrjydg/s400/SDC11592.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">this is as high-tec as the entertainment got all week</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdBG3_EpwnTn2qRyuLRjWkVp9wYdglZjaU3n9dpVWxRcmkn0yizyeAnYzXXKC9bPLp5wG9efkec8Gtdo7S076D8tACI6Ll39TJddm6CW9luRuv85ogNP2lcFOZveUjqDY9H-nrU04vKc/s1600/SDC11585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdBG3_EpwnTn2qRyuLRjWkVp9wYdglZjaU3n9dpVWxRcmkn0yizyeAnYzXXKC9bPLp5wG9efkec8Gtdo7S076D8tACI6Ll39TJddm6CW9luRuv85ogNP2lcFOZveUjqDY9H-nrU04vKc/s400/SDC11585.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">d</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">efinintely one for the 21st birthday slide-show</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimiJJZs1UrhW0P6jKYUBwQwmf73TErGw1wC8hdKz3zSidhvdhXwi2ydHRqJu2Plu2NASZ0Z5jLm7514seIlFnldytG5fhaeVOQbCgWeQXPZ9wp1snFEeYxVJxcSMpyOyail9krHhjPuaA/s1600/SDC11605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimiJJZs1UrhW0P6jKYUBwQwmf73TErGw1wC8hdKz3zSidhvdhXwi2ydHRqJu2Plu2NASZ0Z5jLm7514seIlFnldytG5fhaeVOQbCgWeQXPZ9wp1snFEeYxVJxcSMpyOyail9krHhjPuaA/s400/SDC11605.JPG" width="257" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Gidget!</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_H9nYpgkdPL5Vic0snjv2TDvTn4DQ__MEVuNwxfdO0LUdnDo4qoH8ZhyphenhyphenuUfj45lUrYfXAOvWxwyVDDGiw9duY0_4d6o_DukCrBwgfv3-N8JUJlqb6eC_zM-jBqoAq49MsDdfFMdEyAy8/s1600/sawtell+ourpatch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_H9nYpgkdPL5Vic0snjv2TDvTn4DQ__MEVuNwxfdO0LUdnDo4qoH8ZhyphenhyphenuUfj45lUrYfXAOvWxwyVDDGiw9duY0_4d6o_DukCrBwgfv3-N8JUJlqb6eC_zM-jBqoAq49MsDdfFMdEyAy8/s320/sawtell+ourpatch.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">the main street with beautiful old fig trees - and great coffee!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What struck me this week was that we had a real old-fashioned family holiday. There was no fancy resort, we ate in most nights and the kids entertained themselves. Surfing, swimming, fishing and playing cards were the order of the day. We manage to find a joke book wherever we go, and the kids spent the week cracking up at whatever joke was read out loud, whether it was funny or not. Apparently it's all in the delivery!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now don't get me wrong, a swanky resort with all the mod cons can be a fantastic place to spend a holiday, and I love a good day-spa as much as the next diva, but I was reminded how much fun an old school, back to basics beach holiday can be. And how nice it is for the kids to realise that entertainment doesn't need to be electronic to be fantastic fun.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Have a wonderful week</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85794/shatay01/57292ae3db79c6d939a1f2a85508a076.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0pt none ! important;" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">all images Driftwood Interiors except the last which is from <a href="http://ourpatch.com.au/">here</a></span><br /><br /><br /></div>

Old-school holiday

We've just returned home from our little getaway on the mid-north coast of NSW, and I think it was just what the doctor ordered after a ...

Read more »